The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Acts 24-26
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 4: Christ’s Church: God’s People Advance the Kingdom
Background Information: Acts 24-26
King Agrippa, the ruler of a large geo-political region, and Festus a powerful governor in Judea under Agrippa came into the stone amphitheater carved into the hillside with great pomp. All of the powerful and celebrated were there to see and hopefully be seen by Agrippa. Ranking military officers in their shiny Roman uniforms, rich and famous civil and business leaders were all in attendance, hobnobbing as only very important people know how to do. Then Paul enters, not with pomp, but in chains, after two long years in prison. Paul is a largely unknown person of no consequence to them. They are now nobodies of no consequence to us. The Jews in Jerusalem said they wanted Paul brought back there but they really wanted to ambush and murder him along the way. What does Paul do in the face of this impressive crowd, and the threat of being murdered? Does he tremble in fear? Does he beg for his life? Does he backtrack on his claims of the truth of the gospel? No, he is respectful, because he knows that even these foolish authorities are appointed by God. But he is not fearful because he answers ultimately to God and not to human authority. He has already counted his life as nothing to him if only he may complete his mission of making Christ known among the nations. So, he uses the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the highest officials in the government. Paul shares his own testimony of faith, then he shares the gospel and makes a direct invitation to King Agrippa to believe. Agrippa is taken aback, “Do you really think it is going to be that easy to persuade me to become a Christian?” Paul’s response is one for the ages, “I wish before God, that whether easily or with difficulty, that everyone here would become just like me, a follower of Christ, minus the chains of course.” Paul was willing to die for his faith, but he was not going to foolishly fall for a human trap. Our faith in Christ should make us fearless, not foolish. He went over all their heads and used to his rights as a Roman citizen. He made his appeal to Caesar, and he would go to Rome and not to Jerusalem. Now he would take the gospel right into the heart of the Empire and he would do so under Roman protection. How does a man live with this kind of clarity and courage? He had trained to trust Christ left of the bang. He didn’t wake up on that day and hope he would have what it took to honor Christ. He had trained for many days, in many ways, to put his confidence in Christ and not in himself. Now, on this challenging day, before this impressive crowd, his training kicked in. How will you respond in to coming “bangs” in your life? You don’t have to hope; you can train now to trust then.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the Spirit of God and the Word of God to work in power in Uyghurs’ lives and that many would come to believe the truth of the Gospel.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.